Kingdom Hearts 2,3: Shards of Broken Destiny
by Xed14thKey
Summary: .::An inconceivable truth...they were wrong. We all were. Kingdom Hearts is not what you think. And the lies and shadows make things even worse:: ::Rewritten AGAIN. Last time, I promise! New OCs, new plot, and a story deeper than the original KH games!::
1. Four Skies, One Destiny

_Four skies, one Destiny._

_Many shattered worlds,_

_Shards made by lies._

_But still, we remember._

_And still, we forget._

_But no matter what,_

_Those Shards will come together._

_It has begun._

_The truth will be revealed._

_Four skies, one Destiny._

_One broken, shattered Destiny._

_That only Four can Destroy,_

_And rebuild once again._

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Axel's#1fangirl/Xed14thKey proudly presents…

**Kingdom Hearts 2-3: Shards of Broken Destiny**

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**Okay, I've decided to rewrite this AGAIN. But this time, I have a better idea of what I'm doing, so hopefully things will go smoother. **

**I am also posting this on , so ignore the 'Axel's#1fangirl' or the 'Xed14thkey' if you don't understand that part.**

**See ya'll next chapter :)**


	2. The Memories That We Repress

_Screeeeefft scffft scffft._

The broken noise of a screen, the frizz that you hear as the screen gets confused and messed up and discombobulated. The sound of a machine gone blank. It dies.

_Screeeeefft scffft scffft._

Memories never truly go away. They stay with us, for as long as we can breathe and think. And perhaps even after. Memories…are eternal. One of the few precious things that last forever. Rock hard, solid, sturdy; like diamonds. And though it may seem as though memories can be warped and tampered with, the original will always be engraved in our hearts.

_Screeeeefft scffft scffft._

Memories are not always pleasant. They're quite often painful, and that pain is burned forever in our souls. They speak the truth when no one else will. They make you see…what you really are, what you've really done…what you've really become.

I often wish I could erase all my memories. Break all the chains and ties and throw them away…a clean slate. But that is not possible. It never is.

I don't want to be a monster.

_Screeeeefft scffft scffft._

My memories especially like to tell me about her.

I could draw a picture, if I wanted to: honey blonde hair, pale skin, those acid green eyes that still haunt me to this day. But my memories go deeper past all that…I can still smell her. Very odd, her scent. It was the most sickeningly sweet Darkness I'd ever encountered. It was painful to breathe it in, yet at one point in my life I would've given anything to smell just like her.

_Screeeeefft scffft scffft._

Her eyes were shockingly hard to look into.

They held an unbearable amount of pain and sadness. I never could look her in the eyes. But, peeking through was a little sliver of brilliant Light. So bright it was, it rivaled Sora's. Perhaps she had found her Light in the Dark.

I found mine, too. I just wish I hadn't let go of it.

_Screeeeefft scffft scffft._

I'm guilty of betrayal.

I left her alone, and went off on my own. I broke our promise. I left her behind, while I went on. And I wasn't even strong enough to tell her we needed to part ways. Yes, I'm very guilty. I don't even know what happened to her. I'm not sure if I want to know…

I'd like to apologize, if I ever could. She didn't deserve to be left alone, not again.

_Screeeeefft scffft scffft._

But I'm not sorry for doing what I had to do.

Sora…he needed me. And for that, I would never turn my back on him.

But at the price of me turning my back on her?

_Screeeeefft scffft scffft._

Has Darkness taught me nothing? Has it not taught me to cherish what I have, and the friends that I make? Has it not taught me to never betray someone who had never betrayed me? Has it not taught me to never hurt someone innocent?

But no…no…I will not doubt myself.

What I did was correct. The memories can say what they will, bother me as they like. But I am not a monster. I did the right thing.

_Screeeeefft scffft scffft._

Or did I?

_Screeeeefft scffft scffft. Screeeeefft scffft scffft. Screeeeefft scffft scffffffffffffft………_

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**You can probably guess whose POV this is from. If you can, I'll give you an oversized cookie :)**


	3. He Awakes Soon

In the quiet of the bleach-white room, the only sound that could be heard was that of a pencil scraping delicately across smooth paper.

And even that was unbearably loud.

The misunderstood man sat by the wall, his back rigidly erect, rather uncomfortably but he didn't care. His chest tight, he barely breathed—he had to remind himself to do so every once in a while. His gloved fingers pinched the fabric of his black cloak repeatedly, twisting the stiff leather in an attempt to distract himself from his anxiety. It didn't help.

"You know, Sora will wake up any day now. Along with his friends."

He looked up at the girl sitting across the room, in a pure white chair in front of a pure white pod. She was currently drawing in a tan sketchbook with a lighter shade of paper, precariously rebuilding the precious memories that she herself had scattered and broken.

The cloaked man nodded. "Namine?"

The girl looked up at him, periwinkle eyes boring deeply into his golden ones.

"Yes?"

"Do you think…he'll recognize me?"

The man couldn't hide his nervousness from her, allowing his eyes to divert onto the hard, cold floor beneath their feet. "You know, as I am now?" Namine smiled at him sweetly, before replying.

"Of course he will." She let her gaze rest on the frightened man before her, hoping to comfort him a little. "Although you may be Ansem on the outside, you're still Riku on the inside. He'll see the real you, I can promise you that."

The young girl turned back towards the Pod to finish her work. Riku closed his eyes softly and slowly, leaning back in his chair, with his hands under the back of his head.

_The real me?_

_The real me was a conniving, dirty monster. He stopped at nothing to get what he wanted._

_Sora…_

_Oh, Sora. If you only knew what I had to do to bring you back to life._

The man opened his eyes once again, as a new feeling pressed against the walls of his heart. What…he had to do. Who…he had to leave behind… His memories came back to taunt him mercilessly, as the guilt rose in his throat like bile.

"Do you think I made the right choice?"

The blonde's pencil stopped moving.

Her eyes held something faint and distant, well hidden but unmistakably recognizable. Disappointment. But not normally so; It was tainted with understanding, which was in turn tainted by guilt.

Sacrifice in order to save. Twisted, but true.

She said simply, "If that's what your heart says."

An answer in which she didn't have to actually answer. The man diverted his gaze. The emotion chained up in his body weighed him down, like lead. But the more he pushed it away, the more he knew that it'd come back, heavier. He didn't know what his heart had to say anymore. It was so twisted…so corrupted, so weak. He doubt it even had the strength to utter a single sound.

"Sora needed it." She turned her gaze upon him. It was a little blank, unreadable. "Without it, he wouldn't be able to exist."

He nodded.

_Just nod, convince yourself that it's really true._

_Agree to cover up the lies._

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The fresh, damp air of the morning was refreshing and light; the still-dark sky was soothing, and the euphoric sounds of pure stillness assisted in relaxing the man. When the silence had finally gotten too much for him, he stated he was going for a walk and left. Simple as that. The girl didn't question him.

As his senses steadied, he took in a sharp breath of frustration. Why couldn't he let this go? Sora would be waking up soon. They'd be together again. He could apologize for being stupid. They could go home together. They could meet Kairi at the beach and they'd have their lives back to how it used to be. How it was supposed to be.

_But then why did he feel so bad?!_

She didn't even matter anymore! She was gone, left! She went on her way! She was in the past! A year had gone by! She was no longer important in his life!

But why couldn't he move _ON??_

Riku grunted in annoyance. All of this thinking was starting to give him a headache, along with the radiance of the sun's glare. It was so intense, that he had to place his hand up to shield it out of his eyes so he could see properly.

Wait a minute…it was only dawn…

The sun shouldn't be up…and this bright…

Riku looked out at the scenery that lay before him.

And he **KNEW** there was something wrong…

Instead of stepping out of the Twilight Town Mansion and into the small, gated courtyard in front of it—

—He had stepped out…into an ocean???

Riku quickly looked down to see that he was standing on top _–yes, ON TOP-_ of the surface of what he presumed to be an ocean. The sun was up high in the all-blue, cloudless sky: the middle of the day. He looked out to see there was someone else on top of the water too, only two or three yards away from him. The figure had it's back to him, their face concealed by their position.

But he could tell it was a girl.

With short honey-brown colored hair.

Wearing a simple, black dress.

Riku's eyes widened, in surprise, shock, and wonderment.

H-her…

_"Do you remember?"_

The silver-haired teen snapped his attention back to the girl. Had she spoken?

_"You don't remember."_

"Y-yes, I do." Riku stammered, taken back by how icy the words were. He was starting to believe that this wasn't the girl he wanted to see…

_"You don't remember her. Why don't you remember me?"_

Confused at the fact he had just been insulted by, what could possibly be, an illusion, he managed to only choke out, "Huh?"

_"Remember her. Why are you seeing me? She needs you. So remember, please…"_

Just then, the girl began to turn around, slowly, as to face Riku. As she turned around, the sun began to sink into the sky rapidly. And as she twisted in his direction, she began to change as well.

Her black dress turned pure white. The sun was now nearing the horizon; a star or two could be seen. Her honey-brown hair grew longer, tainted a dirty-blonde color, thick and wavy, but he could swear that, for a few seconds here and there, it was a rich red-brown color, straight and as smooth as water.

The sun was now gone, the sky pitch black, glittering with stars. She was now facing the Keyblade Master completely, her expressionless and emotionless faded-gray eyes fixed with his –no, Ansem's- golden ones in an icy stare. Riku pulled away from her gaze to look at the water he was standing on. Around the girl, the water was hardening, changing from water, to ice, to…glass?

Yes, definitely glass.

It spread, until Riku was standing on glass himself.

_"Her time is running out. Remember before she falls…"_

The glass beneath him then shattered, and Riku started to fall, tumbling, tumbling…

Somewhere.

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**Not all of this chapter was totally new, but I added a few new pieces and changed up some things. It's important, though.**

**Also, we have cookies to give out! :D**

-Road-To-Dawn-riku-girl-

Dilenaxa

**Ya'll both get oversized cookies for guess correctly that the last chapter was told from Riku's POV. Yay! :D**

**See ya'll next time!**


	4. Dive Into My Heart

_**So much to do…**_

Riku opened his eyes warily, his vision still dancing into and from consciousness. He found himself lying on something cold and hard. Pushing himself to his feet, the teen took a chance to observe his surroundings. Yet, there wasn't too much to make out. All he could identify was that he was in some dark, calm place, thick billows of heavy, shadowy Darkness looming over evilly, and he was standing on top of some clear glass platform, intricate words and designs carved into the podium with apparent skill.

_**So little time…**_

The voice came back, this time stronger. It wasn't the voice of that girl, but a different one. Some how, it reminded him of his own voice…yet emptier, void of anything, everything.

_**Take your time…**_

"Take my time?" Having nothing better to do, Riku decided to humor the mysterious voice by answering it. "Doing what?"

_**Don't be afraid…**_

Oh, so now the voice was mocking him? Riku crossed his arms. "I'm not afraid…"

_**But what do you do…**_

A tingling sensation took over his body in swift, stinging waves, leaving him feeling momentarily numb, and he began to glow an off-white color.

_**Riku…**_

The glowing stopped abruptly, and the tingling subsided gradually. Riku looked out into the distance, to find that everything seemed darker. Did something happen to his vision? He brought his hand up to his eyes, and felt there was some type of cloth over them. With a gentle tug, he pulled it off and glanced into his hand, to see it was…his blindfold? _Wait, his blindfold!_ That hadn't been a part of him since he had changed so long ago…

A whispered prayer escaping his lips, Riku peered at the glass beneath him nervously, gasping softly at what he saw.

He…looked like _himself_ again!

The boy ran a still-gloved hand gingerly through his renewed silver locks, whilst admiring those once-forgotten and missed sea-green orbs he had for eyes. He took in his once-again pale skin, not minding the moment he was spending acting vain like. After what he had done…he just missed what made him, him.

_**When time is up?**_

The glass beneath him shattered once again, sending him declining into the dark abyss waiting below, hungry to swallow any shimmer of a soul. He landed with hard THUDon another glass platform. This time it was a bright yellow color, still carved with similar designs, patterns, and words. There were other colors, but from his perspective he couldn't make out what the stained glass created. Sora came to mind, instantly. He wondered why.

_**The roads that lie ahead are rough…**_

_**But you can face them…**_

_**After all, you've done it before…**_

Riku stood up and brushed himself off, cursing silently at this situation he found himself in. Quite frankly, the teen found it rather tiresome and annoying. He looked up to see a bright yellow light spark up from the darkness above and shine down, illumination only a small spot on the stage.

_**Step forward…Can you do it?**_

He shrugged, and walked easily into the Light. _Too easy._

_**Very Good.**_

The glass underneath shattered yet again, and Riku fell into the chasm yet again. After some time, he landed on the next dais on his feet, with a softer and less painful thump. The glass platform this time was exactly like the last, except it glowed a deep violet shade. There were more colors, more designs, but he couldn't help but feel strangely…within him self. On top of it. But before he could investigate further, the voice spoke again.

_**Sometimes, there is not always light…**_

_**We must sometimes rely on Darkness…**_

A little ways away, the Keyblader observed a dark purple light shine down before him from the darkness above.

_**Step forward…Can you do it?**_

Riku took a step back, in what could only be described as diffidence. That light, if it could even be called such a thing…it was the same exact 'light' he had walked into when entering the Darkness the first time…he wasn't going to walk back into it again…there was simply no way he'd fall into such evil hands again.

_**Hesitant? You had no problem stepping into the Light before…**_

"That's because the light didn't betray me…" Riku muttered.

_**Why not the Darkness?**_

Becoming fed up with this entire mess, he shouted angrily to the empty void, "It'll pull me in! It'll control me again!"

_**Put trust in the Darkness.**_

_**Put trust in yourself.**_

"Trust? In myself?"

Riku gulped. He wasn't sure about this. But, he felt like he needed to prove to someone…himself…that he could do this. That he could control it. That he could control himself. _Could he even do that?_

Taking a chance, he stepped forward into the Darkness. And awaited the worst.

_**Excellent.**_

Riku sighed, relieved. _So he could control himself…_

Subsequently, the platform shattered yet again, catching Riku off-guard, causing him to land hard on the next platform. He stood up quickly and took in his new surroundings. This time, the platform was a milky white color. The other colors, the soft pink, the rich green, the gold, the red, the brown, the grey…it spelled out something in his heart. He was in a familiar place. He only wished he could speak out that memory, for it clung to the very recesses of his heart.

_**Sometimes, Light and Darkness combine, to form Twilight…**_

"Twilight?" _Why did that seem so familiar?_

A white light shone down from the darkness sky, with a faint, ear-piercing hum to accompany it.

_**Now, Light and Darkness act as one.**_

_**Can you embrace both?**_

Seeing that he walked into the Light and Darkness before, both at the same time shouldn't be too hard. Right?

Riku walked forward into the Twilight.

As he did so, his mind began to shift slightly. Now, he couldn't help but think about that girl that kept haunting him…what was her name again?

_**But, what happens…**_

_**When Light and Darkness rip away…**_

_**To reveal a void?**_

The light whisked away from his sight, and the glass beneath his feet shattered violently, frightening Riku and sending him spiraling into the starving depths below. A long time he simply fell, until he came upon his next stage, quite unfortunately. He slammed down hard onto the fragile surface, with such strength and ferocity that he wouldn't have been shocked if it shattered again due to the force. Riku moaned aloud with pain, slowly willing himself to his feet. He looked around, and, much to his horror saw nothing around him. The only comfort he could draw from was the dull colors beneath his feet, and even those left him empty and alone.

There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Only black emptiness…

_**Midnight arises.**_

_Midnight…why did that sound so familiar?_

_**In Midnight, our truths cannot be hidden.**_

At the other side of the space, a mirror arose from the darkness, illuminated by a mysterious radiance that surrounded it and only it. Then, more mirrors rose up from the ground, much like the first one, cutting off from the rest of the area, creating a path for Riku to walk.

_**Go on, step forward towards the mirror.**_

_**Trust yourself.**_

He stepped forward carefully. Riku could feel the harsh of the glass surface beneath his feet, although the thick shadows concealed it. With a soft breath, Riku began to walk forward, down the mirror path. As he walked towards the farthest mirror, he glanced at the other mirrors he passed. It seemed like, as he walked further down the path, his reflections he saw grew darker and shady; they became harder to see, until he could no longer see himself, for the Darkness clouded the mirrors fully. Yet he pressed on.

_**As we step into Midnight…**_

_**We lose sight of who we are…**_

He reached the mirror at the end. With one last shaking, nervous breath, he pushed further and glimpsed into the mirror. He gasped, utterly shocked.

He could see a reflection…

…but it wasn't his! It couldn't be!!

The person…this person looked just like him, with a few changes. His clothes were all white. His hair was not an illustrious sliver, but a raven black. His eyes weren't a crystal sea green, but a menacing golden yellow. Riku jumped back, his mentality awhirl with confusion and uncertainty.

_T-t-that couldn't be him!_

_**We step into the bliss of nothingness…**_

_**And become nothingness ourselves…**_

The being in the mirror stepped out towards Riku, the latter jumping back even further. He was starting to become seriously frightened. _What's going on?! Why can't I leave?!_ Abruptly, the being grew taller and wider, at least 20 times Riku's size. The figure transformed into something that was a cross between a Heartless and a Nobody...a bizarre combination that left the silver-haired teen baffled and speechless. That boy's new form was now white and black, but those menacing gold eyes remained. The monster towered over him, sparks of Darkness flicking off his 'skin'. It made not a sound, but a deep rumbling erupted from nowhere, shaking the vicinity aggressively.

The Keyblader's eyes were wide and alive with fear.

He started to back up ever so slowly…

_**But don't be afraid…**_

No.

Riku stopped backing up.

If this thing was…him…he had to face it. Now. He took a step forward towards the monstrous beast, determination and anger flaring up in his darkened eyes.

_**That's it! Be strong.**_

Riku grit his teeth in fierce fortitude, throwing his arm out to the side swiftly, calling his Keyblade, the Way to Dawn, to his hand in a fluid motion.

He gripped the cool weapon's handle, felt the weapon's energy and magic flow through him. He could do this. For him. For Sora. For Kairi. For Rae—

_**Stay strong.**_

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(SEE NEXT CHAPTER FOR BOSS BATTLE)

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The monster rose into the sky gradually, it's cadaver erupting into blazing hot fiery white and black flames. The flames encircled Riku, trapping him. The boy looked around wildly for some form of escape, but his eyes caught none. Just then, as if to answer his silent pleas, the platform shuddered, and then shattered vehemently for the last time.

_Everything was spinning…_

_**But don't be afraid…**_

_The Light, the Darkness, Twilight, Midnight…_

_**You hold one of the mightiest weapons of all…**_

_All mixing into one…_

_**So do not forget…**_

_Everything grew darker, if possible…_

_**You are one of Four…**_

There were bright, brisk flashes of white in front of Riku. He was still falling…right?

_**Who will open the door…**_

_Falling…falling…falling…_

Into…

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_Falling…_

_Falling…_

"Riku!"

Riku opened his eyes weakly, the warmth of the overly bright sun beating down on his face, quite unforgiving. Opening his eyes fully and sitting up, he could see that he was lying on the dirt ground of the courtyard in front of the Twilight Town Mansion. And as he was just beginning to collect his bearings, the previous events of his 'experience' came rushing to him. He quickly stood up, ignoring the nauseatingly dizzy feeling that befell him. The dream –or whatever it was- had been so real! He honestly didn't know what to think of the whole situation. Everything seemed logical –at least what the voice said was logical- but Riku still was confused. Who was the girl? The voice? And what about the reflection…was that really he? _Another me?_

"Riku!"

He turned around to see Namine running towards him quickly, an excited smile spread upon her face. Once reaching him, she stopped and began to speak, not bothering to catch her breath.

"Riku, Sora is…" she started but then trailed off as wonderment invaded her expression. Light indigo eyes stared at Riku with awe and amazement in her eyes. The teen raised an eyebrow, before speaking.

"What? What are you staring at?"

"Riku, you're—"

"It's Ansem."

"No," She breathed, "It's Riku! You're Riku again! Come, look!" The girl grabbed Riku's hand and pulled him along to the side of the mansion, to one of the windows. She had him look at his reflection, and what he saw made him gasp out loud.

He _WAS_ himself again!

"I-I-I can't believe it!" he stammered, tugging at his silver locks to assure himself what he was seeing was definitely real. Namine looked up at him, looking slightly confused.

"How'd you change back?" Riku could only shake his head, and say,

"I don't know..." His thoughts drifted back to the 'dream', or whatever that had just happened. He had changed back as well in the dream as well. Could there be a connection? _No…that's impossible…right?_

"Riku, I came out here to tell you that Sora will be awakening any moment now." Namine said, excitedly.

The Keyblader smiled, happy that his friend would awaken, even though he didn't have his Nobody with him. He could only pray that wouldn't hinder Sora's heart.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

And with that, the two ran off inside the Mansion.

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**Okay, a bit of chapter merging, and a few added things here and there, but it's all important, I promise! :3 **

**The Boss Battle will be added shortly, I promise!**


	5. Boss Battle: Midnight Fright

**Boss Name:** Midnight Fright

**Health Points:** 1 ½ Bars

**Difficulty:** 2-3 (due to the need for good reflexes)

**Level Recommended:** N/A (first battle)

**Character to Fight With:** Riku

**Allies:** None

**Necessary to Complete:** Yes

**Prize:** N/A

**Picture: **PM me if you want to see what the Boss looks like

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The Boss Battle for Midnight Fright is extremely like fighting Darkside (from KH1) and Twilight Thorn (from KH2) at the same time, with a few extra things added.

When the battle starts, Midnight Fright dives off the edge of the platform, and disappears for a short while. You'll just be standing there for a few seconds, but keep your finger on the triangle button.

Suddenly, a short scene will occur where the platform starts shaking, and then it bursts into many shards. Press the triangle button when it flashes on the screen, and Riku will immediately grab onto one of the shards.

Hold down the triangle button, because then all the shards start to spin around, and if you let go of the button even for one second, you fall of, and you're dead (XD). After a moment or two, the shards stop spinning, and they'll just float in mid-air, and start to create a stairway. At the end of the stairway, Midnight Fright will appear.

Using good timing, jump from shard to shard to get up to Midnight Fright. But, he's not just going to wait for you to just come up and hit him! He'll create Shadow Heartless and dark orbs (Darkside's attacks) and he'll create those waves of black and white bolts (Twilight Thorn's attack) to stop you. Don't bother fighting the Heartless, just dodge them and keep jumping towards Midnight Fright.

**Tip: If you are taking too much damage from his attacks, stop for a moment to kill some of the Shadow Heartless. They release health orbs.**

After a minute or two, you'll reach the final shard that leads to Midnight Fright. Just jump off towards him, and start pressing the 'X' button, landing as many combos and hits on him as you can. He'll roar, but just keep hitting him. Don't worry about falling, because, as long as you press the 'X' button, you'll stay afloat in the air.

After a moment or two of this, there'll be a white flash, and the two of you will fall down on the platform (much like Roxas and Twilight Thorn do). Riku will automatically get up, so as soon as he does, run over to Midnight Fright, whom is still knocked-out, and give him a taste of your Keyblade! You can probably land two or three combos on him before he wakes up. When he revives, he'll blast you backwards (Note: You WILL take some damage from this, but it's not too much) towards the edge of the platform, so look for the green triangle to flash on the screen. When it does, quickly press the triangle button, and Riku will stab the edge of the platform with his Keyblade (like Roxas does), stopping him from falling over the edge (and dying).

By now, Midnight Fright should have about ¾ of his health gone, leaving only ¾ of his health left (how convenient ;))

The platform will shatter again, and the entire battle will start over again from the beginning.

**Tip: Remember to press the triangle button to stop yourself from falling! Or else it's GAME OVER! **

The whole process will repeat once more, exactly how it went the first time.

Just dodge, attack, have good timing, and attack some more, and victory will be yours!

This IS NOT a difficult battle!!!

The hardest part is probably getting your timing right. As long as you have good reflexes and can press the triangle button quickly, then you will be fine. If you don't have good reflexes…you may want to work on that…

**THIS BATTLE REQUIRES GOOD TIMING, AND A BIT OF LUCK! **

Good luck and happy fighting! :)

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**Like the style? Don't like it? Let me know in a review, please.**


	6. The Premonitions

A brilliant blast of light, preceded by distant thunder shaking the skies. Clouds loomed over the dark, void city of broken buildings and dreams below, parted enough to only allow the luminous shine of the heart-shaped moon hanging among the invisible stars. Shadows lurked everywhere, anywhere they could find refuge. The streets were bare and cold, the atmosphere deadly quiet and devious.

Yet, in the middle of this sea of disparity and gloom resided a castle, a grand citadel of white hanging in the sky by unseen ties.

And within this castle, a group of cloaked men and women were seated in outrageously tall chairs in a bleach white room under a bleach white roof. There were thirteen tall seats; only eleven were filled. For the most part they were all quiet, but a few found it necessary to chat among themselves, until a man in the tallest chair – obviously the Superior of the group –, a tanned man with fierce gold eyes that simply screamed insanity and silver spiked locks cleared his throat. The room fell silent.

"The time…has come." He spoke wisely, slowly, pronunciating each word to emphasize their importance. "Sora will awaken at any moment. And when he does, the plan we've so long strived for will be placed into effect."

"It has begun." A blue haired man, named Saix, in a lower seat next to him murmured, just loud enough for all to hear. His eyes were gold too, but held bestiality unlike any other.

"Yes…" A blonde man, named Luxord, with sharp azure eyes stated. In his hands was a deck of cards, and his skilled hands and fingers shuffled them as he spoke. "But do you really believe that we are ready?"

"Of course we are ready!" An older man, Vexen, with long, dirty blonde hair and acidic green eyes snapped at the younger member. "Sora's awakening shall set everything into place! And we will retrieve our hearts at last."

The first man, known as Xemnas, smirked. "Indeed. I do believe things will go smoothly. Sora is a surprisingly strong boy. He will not let us down."

A few snickers, a few sneers.

Lexaeus, a burly man with short orange hair and sturdy cobalt eyes grunted. "And of Riku?"

"Riku?" A rose haired man with devious navy eyes, Marluxia, propped his elbow up on the arm of his chair, using his hand to prop his chin up so that he could lean slightly. "What is your concern with him?"

"He is merely an outlier." The man looked to the floor, arms crossed. "But he if interjects…"

"You worry far too much, Lexaeus." Marluxia mused.

"He's right." A woman – the only grown woman in the group – named Larxene, agreed, drawing her fingers through her short blonde hair as she flashed her sea green eyes towards him. She smirked cockily. "Riku won't be a bother to us. He isn't strong enough."

"He has a point, Number XII." Xaldin, a black dreadlock haired man with massive sideburns and almost electric blue eyes, boomed. "We cannot ignore the possible threat that Riku may possess."

"Hm…be right back, dudes." A man with a heavy surfer accent said, just before he disappeared through a swirling mass of black and purple. The room was quiet for only a minute or so, before the previous ambience returned.

"Regardless," the Superior said, "we will assure he causes no problems for us. After we release our special weapon…"

"Our Key…" Saix added in quietly.

The tanned man nodded his approval. "Our Key…" A borderline wicked grin spread across his face. "We will be untouchable."

An air of uneasiness wafted in, expressed upon a few choice members who decided to turn their heads to the ground to hide it.

And somewhere in the castle, somewhere far away where their villainous plans could not be heard to even the most trained ear, she sat on her bed, drawing innocently, oblivious to the evil in which they were prepared to force upon her.

000

A soft, simple lullaby.

That's what was playing in the background.

The brunette hovered there, lying on something study yet invisible to any eye. But it wasn't totally firm. He felt as if he was floating, like being rocked on the waves which he once remembered, and had to learn to remember again. It was very soothing.

Over him, stood a boy. What he looked like wasn't of importance, or even why he was there wasn't that important. All that was important was, although black swarmed his vision, he knew that this boy had eyes just like his.

The boy looked upon him, something close to pity in his gaze.

_"Sora…"_

Is…he talking to me?

The boy smiled faintly and shook his head. _"You're such a mess…"_

He desperately tried to open his eyes, but didn't find such strength. He would simply have to settle for hearing his voice, although it was faint and blurry. Something within him…wasn't quite right. He felt as if he were submerged underwater, the voice echoing and wavering in his ears.

_"I need you…to fix everything. It's what people like us do…"_

So we are alike?

He felt the gaze leave him, turned away. _"It appears that…I'm not allowed to be anymore. It looks like…I must return. I must go back to where I belong."_

He didn't sound very happy…almost as if it were a bother to do so. Who wouldn't want to go to where they belong?

_"She's counting on you, Sora. She needs a hero this time."_

She?

Is it that girl…the one so very precious to him? The one that is still waiting for him?

He could force his lips apart, but no sound broke through. He could only mouth the words he wanted to annunciate.

Do you mean…Kairi?

The boy grinned. Instead of giving an answer, he grinned. What was that supposed to mean?

He was still waiting, but nothing new came to his ears.

Suddenly, the music stopped, and the world rapidly, but peacefully, grew whiter and whiter. The floating stopped. Sounds came back. He knew he was now in a different place. The air he was breathing felt rawer, not as pure.

This was real.

And, finally, for the first time in a long time, although he didn't know it,

Sora opened his eyes and awoke.

000000

**There we are. Hope ya'll enjoyed, and see ya'll next chapter.**


	7. Unseen Troubles

The Sleeping Pod started to budge. Riku looked up to see the layers of it shifting, moving away to reveal Sora. The boy was floating gently within it's magic, his eyes opened and looking about blearily. The silver-haired teen couldn't help but chuckle at how ridiculously small Sora's clothes were on him now, considering how much he'd grown in one year. The brunette's sapphire eyes slowly adjusted to the bright white and light in the room he was stationed in. He raised his arms above his head and stretched, yawning loudly. He blinked a few times, before daring to look out to see what was before him.

"Sora!"

That…that voice…is it…him?

Silver hair. Sea-green eyes. That cocky smile.

_Riku._

Sora smiled widely.

"Riku!" He shouted, jumping down from the Pod he was in. He would've fallen over from lack of balance if Riku hadn't run up to him and steadied him. Once regaining his balance, Sora threw his arms around Riku's neck in a hug.

"Riku! I'm so glad your ok!" He exclaimed happily. He truly was happy to see him alive and well. The last time he'd seen him was when they were closing the door to Kingdom Hearts, with Riku being trapped on the inside. Faint tears stung his eyes, but he quickly shoved them back. But his friend already noticed before he could.

"Come on, Sora, you gotta pull it together. I'm glad to see you too." Riku replied, gently pulling away from their slightly awkward hug. He smiled at his friend. "You haven't changed at all." Sora crossed his arms.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" he said in mock anger, smiling. Riku chuckled. Sora was still the same Sora that he had known.

Sora smiled wider. Riku was still the same Riku that he had known.

"Sora!"

Sora and Riku looked over to where two excited voices had called for Sora. A duck clad in blue and a tall dog clad in green and yellow came running over to them.

"Donald! Goofy!" Sora shouted running over to his two friends. Immediately, they all grasped each other's hands in excitement, and started to jump around in a circle, laughing and grinning like idiots. But they didn't mind. They were just so happy to see each other!

"I see you two haven't changed either." Riku said, smiling over at Donald and Goofy. They all stopped jumping around as Donald and Goofy stared at Riku, who'd they'd just noticed was there.

"Riku! You're not trapped in the realm of Darkness anymore!" Donald quacked. Goofy smiled.

"Ahyuck! You haven't changed either!" he said. Riku smiled sadly.

_If you only knew…_

"I'm glad to see everyone's doing well."

Everyone turned to see a blonde haired blue-eyed girl in white walk into the room, smiling softly.

"Who are you?" Donald asked.

"I'm Namine." She replied. Goofy nodded his head and smiled.

"We're—"

"Donald, Goofy, and Sora." She finished for him. The three stared at her.

"How did you know our names?" Donald asked. Namine only smiled at her secret. Sora struck a thoughtful pose.

"Namine…have…have we met before?" he asked, crossing his arms. Namine looked over at him.

"Why do you ask?"

"I dunno…" Sora said, looking at her. "It just feels like…we've met before." Namine shook her head, chuckling softly.

"Nope. Never met before. And I know your names because Riku told me."

"Ohhh…" the three chorused, nodding.

Sora brought up his hands and laced him behind his head. "Well, I'm glad everything's all done, then. I can't wait to head back to Kairi." He grinned fondly, thinking of the redhead who was still waiting for them on their island. She was probably annoyed they had taken so long, but she'd be happy nonetheless.

"You can't, Sora." Namine said, gently but firmly. The happiness in the boy's eyes faded.

"What? Why?"

"You have been asleep for a long time. There are many new dangers within the worlds, and the worlds still need you. They need a hero."

Riku looked away.

"Just how long have we been asleep?" The duck inquired.

"One year."

All of their eyes widened as their mouths dropped open in surprise. "A year?!?"

"Garwsh! That's a long time!" Goofy exclaimed, very much surprised.

Riku spoke up quietly. "You need to catch up on what's been going on. As the King has put it: 'More trouble has been brewin' up in the worlds, and we need to help out.'"

Donald jumped up and down, excitedly. "The King is here?!"

"Yes."

"Master Yen Sid will help you know what you need to know." Namine chimed in.

"Master Yen Sid!!!" The Disney animals exclaimed, in shock. Sora only scratched his head.

"Who?"

Goofy gasped. "Only the most powerful wizard ever! He taught King Mickey all he knew!

"Well, let's get going guys!" Donald chirped, impatiently.

"Yeah, we're gonna need to know a lot so we can help out in the worlds." Goofy said. Sora nodded.

"Okay then, let's go!" Riku walked up to the three of them.

"Here." He said, handing them a small pouch. "There's enough Munny in it for you three to take the train out of here. And, if you see anything, like Heartless or whatever, ignore and avoid them." Goofy cocked his head.

"What for?" he questioned.

Riku shook his head. "Just do it." Sora nodded.

"Riku…" Sora looked to his friend. "Will we be seeing you soon?"

The silver haired teen nodded. "Yeah. I'll come find you guys."

The brunette grinned and nodded, running after his companions who had already gone out the door.

"I need to take care of things." Riku said, once the trio was out of sight. The blonde nodded in understanding, and watched as the boy walked out by himself.

With everyone gone, Namine stood there quietly; looking down, wondering what she would do next, now. She supposed she should join with her other, but...no, she couldn't. Not quite. She walked over to her chair slowly, and looked down to the pale sketchbook before her. On the page facing up towards open eyes was a drawing of Sora and another tanned boy with spiky blonde hair and a black cloak. The two were holding hands.

The girl narrowed her periwinkle eyes, confusion and disappointment dripping from her face.

000

Under a dark, star encrusted sky, high above the clouds, resided a grand tower that radiated pure magic and wonder on a small patch of land. Inside lived Master Yen Sid, a great sorcerer, powerful beyond belief and even wiser. No one dared to venture here, in fear of what he would do to trespassers. For surely, a man with such great stature such as he would have the trees and wind on his side, and word would certainly get to him of intruders.

At the moment, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were standing in front of the wizard's desk, listening attentively as the old man explained the current status of the worlds as they were now.

And outside that window, well hidden by the shadows and darkness that lurked about the tower, was a thin, cloaked man, watching with piercing emerald eyes, burning quietly, like dying embers. His cherry red hair was spiked back, free from the confines of his cloaked hood, for now. He watched with dedication, the purpose in his eyes difficult to decipher.

A swirling portal of black and purple opened up, and another man walked out, this one with long black hair, streaked with grey, with one good, golden eye. The other eye was concealed with a black eye patch, and a nasty scar ran down the side of one of his cheeks. Yet, despite his physical appearance, something humorous and warm radiated from within.

"I knew I'd find you here." The older man chuckled.

"What do you want?" The younger man asked, not snappishly, but with a little impatience.

He ignored his question. "Axel. You need to let it go."

The redhead closed his eyes, furrowing his brows. "It's not him…but it feels like it."

The one eyed man sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You can't seek a faded soul."

Silence.

"….I can try."

"And you'll fail. Sorry, dude, but you can't get him back. He's gone…he's a part of Sora."

And with that, the man disappeared into the swirling dark mass behind him.

Axel shook his head a little. It wasn't over…it couldn't be. It just wasn't.

He's not the type to give in so easily…

The man looked up, and watched as Sora and company walked out, to continue their journey. The redhead lingered a little, before looking away.

He then disappeared into the darkness.

000000

**All done :) A bit of a boring chapter, but important, nonetheless.**


	8. Crash Landing

The Gummi ship's roaring engine died down slowly and eventually stopped as the colorful vehicle landed upon the deserted area of Hollow Bastion. No one was around, for it was far out of the way of the suburban expanse, and more within the Heartless' district.

It's pilot, Riku, and it's passenger, King Mickey, sat there in silence for a while. The King looked over to the boy to see him staring intently at nothing in particular, his sea green eyes swirling with hesitation and uncertainty.

"You don't have to do this, you know." The mouse assured him, gently. He knew very well what he was planning to do, but it was quite a big step for him. An important one, but not necessary.

"I know." The teen looked at his comrade. "But I want to." He turned away again.

"I want to meet one of my teachers."

000

"I call pilot seat!"

"Oh, no you don't! I'm driving!!"

Sora and Donald were, currently, arguing over who would get to drive the ship, while they both attempted to fit into the ship's door at the same time. As they bantered back and forth, the duck managed the squeeze by and, as the brunette fell due to the release of pressure, Donald ran to the driver's seat and got settled.

"That's not fair!" Sora whined. "I never get to drive and I called it first!"

"Ahyuck!" Goofy chuckled, "There's always other times to drive, guys!"

"Yeah!" Donald quacked. "So suck it up and sit somewhere!"

The Keyblader sighed. "Alright…" He sat down in his usual spot, the one he always sat in only a year before. Goofy sat down next to him, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Aw, cheer up, Sora! What's important right now is getting ta' where we need ta' get going!"

Sora nodded, and smiled. "Yeah, you're right."

"Then let's go!" Donald shouted, as he pressed certain buttons and pulled certain levers. The ship shook and gurgled and roared to life, and it lifted up and zoomed off into the sky.

The Keyblade master looked out the nearby window, staring into the rapidly darkening sky glittering with hundreds of stars, and could see his reflection in the clear glass. He looked at himself for a moment, and couldn't help but notice at how…different, he was. He looked different, older. His clothes were different (courtesy of Yen Sid and those three fairies). Everything about him was different…

He couldn't help but wonder if Kairi would like this new, different Sora.

000

They could practically feel the eerie, silent glares of the Heartless, all breathing down their necks. Both were absolutely prepared for any surprise attacks. Suddenly, Riku stopped walking and looked up. Among the tiny wisps of Darkness he could smell, a new, bitterly icy Darkness came to his nose. Almost…a smell that wasn't there, yet it was.

A smell that he could never forget. _Nobody._

A mass of swirling dark hues opened up behind them, and out stepped a black-cloaked figure. The duo quickly turned around to face the stranger. The man had slate grey hair and deep indigo eyes, brimming with intelligence and a sense of arrogance.

"Riku." He said simply, a small smirk developing onto his face. "It has been a while."

"You…" the teen hissed in response. "From Castle Oblivion…" His glare intensified. "Zexion."

The man smiled a little more, a hint of amusement and mockery on his lips.

"So you do remember me." He said, his voice monotone. "Very good."

"Wait a minute!" The King shouted, as something came to his attention. "If you're from Castle Oblivion…" The mouse King looked up at Riku. "Didn't you kill him?" Riku nodded, confused slightly.

"I should've…" He then glared at Zexion. "I did!" He gripped his weapon tighter. "How did you live?" The Cloaked Schemer chuckled.

"First off, I am a Nobody. I never was 'alive' in a sense. All of the Organization XIII members are not 'alive."

_Not…alive… _

Something about that statement bothered him greatly.

"And secondly, you never killed me."

Riku and the King looked up at the man in disbelief.

"What?!" Riku exclaimed. The Nobody chuckled, crossing his arms.

"I suppose you hadn't caught on." He remarked snidely. "Yet again, we concealed it so well, I'm not surprised you didn't know."

"What are you talking about?" The Keyblade bearer asked, demandingly. Zexion looked up into the sunset-tainted sky, and sighed, before looking back down towards the two.

"Everything, everything about Castle Oblivion, the plot, the Organization members there, even the Castle itself…"

He smiled slyly, twisting his lips into a rare, but cruel, smile.

"…Was _all_ an illusion."

000

The Gummi ship had just started to gain some distance when all of the sudden, the engine started to sputter, and the ship started to shake again, very violently and very unexpectedly. It shocked everyone, and the trio had to grab onto their seats to stop themselves from flying out.

"What's going on?!" Sora shouted over the roar of the flailing engine.

"I don't know!!!" Donald shouted back, pressing random buttons on the keypad. "Something's wrong with the engine!!!"

Sora shot him an annoyed look. "You think?!"

"W-what'd we do??!!" Goofy shouted.

Suddenly, the ship stopped shaking.

"Phew…" The trio breathed in relief that the pandemonium was over.

Just then, the engine started clicking repeatedly.

"What's that?" Sora asked, raising an eyebrow and glancing around the ship.

Goofy shrugged and scratched his head. "Well, if I can remember correctly, that either means the engine is dying, or—" But he was stopped short when the Gummi ship stopped moving altogether, and started to fall—

—Right out of the sky!

As the ship went hurling back down towards the world they had been flying over, the three did the one thing that they could do at the time:

Scream.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

000

Riku's eyes were wide with shock and anger. "What?? How…why…how is that possible?! It isn't!"

Number VI shook his head slightly. "If there was one thing you learned in that place, it should be that nothing is ever quite what it seems."

"Tell me how you did that!"

"Riku, calm down…" The King said, trying to get his comrade to control himself.

Zexion waved him off, looking at the boy seriously, with an unreadable look in his eyes. "No, release your anger. Express how you feel. I envy that."

"You envy nothing!" The teen spat.

"You know of nothing."

"Tell me!"

The anger in Riku's eyes suddenly morphed into confusion, as his ears picked up a new sound among the stiff silence. Somewhere off in the distance he could hear the faint sound of someone screaming.

He raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"

King Mickey shook his head. "I'm not—look!" He shouted suddenly, pointing up to the sky with wide eyes.

Riku looked up and gasped at what he saw.

Something that looked suspiciously like a Gummi ship was falling rapidly out of the sky and towards the ground quite a distance away. They watched with shocked expressions as the ship disappeared into the horizon, followed by a loud crash.

"Isn't that Sora's, Donald's, and Goofy's Gummi ship?" Riku asked, slightly afraid of the answer.

The King's eyes widened in horror. "It is!" he exclaimed.

_Oh, no, Sora!_

Riku immediately took off running, wasting absolutely no time on any goodbyes with the Nobody. The King looked back at Zexion briefly, before following his companion's lead.

The man stood there, watching as they two disappeared from sight. He made a displeased face. He could smell something peculiar arising.

He took his thoughts with him as he disappeared.

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**All done! Next chapter we get more into it :3 **

**Reviews would be really appreiciated…**


	9. Our Hearts Collide

_"C'mon you lazy bum, wake up!"_

He knew that voice.

_"I knew I'd find you snoozing down here."_

The brunette slowly but with force opened his eyes ever so slightly. His vision was hazy, blurry, and spinning. But through it all, he could make out a figure, standing over him. A girl, with reddish brown hair…

He blinked a few times. "K-Kairi—"

No one was there.

Sora's eyes opened fully, as his vision finally settled down. Everything was dark before him. He could make out a few shapes and objects if he squinted, but he could see that they were all…upside down. A few seconds later the soreness of his back alerted him that he was lying down, and his position was distorting his view.

He sat up carefully, rubbing his aching head. Looking around, he saw Donald and Goofy a little ways away from him, both groaning and shifting into a sitting position.

"Ughh…" Donald moaned. "That was awful…"

"I'll say…" Goofy rubbed a bump on his head. "Good thing we jumped outta that Gummi ship when we did! We coulda been hurt a lot worse…"

"Yeah, but where are we?" Sora asked, looking around.

"I dunno, but it looks like we fell through a roof!" The mage said, pointing upwards. His friends looked up as well, to see the large hole in the roof.

"Garwsh, I hope the owners aren't too mad…" Goofy said, looking a little bit worried.

The trio froze collectively as they noticed a small bit of movement coming from the deeper, darker shadows to their left.

"W-what was that?!" Goofy stammered.

"I dunno, but we can handle it!" Donald quacked, drawing his staff and waving it around threateningly. "Come out!"

The three stared at the space, until a minute or two later a figure started to move into a better position to be seen.

Sora narrowed his eyes a little.

"Kairi…?"

000

Back in The Castle That Never Was, Zexion had already informed The Superior of their current predicament.

The two were stationed in a part of the castle that provided a fantastic view of the dark, gloomy city that lay thousands of feet beneath them. Xemnas' eyes were fixed on nothing in particular, alight with anger.

"I knew this would not turn out well." he murmured. "I knew that girl should have been kept here."

Though it did not please him to admit it, he knew this wouldn't turn out well, either. The younger man spoke up, "Do you want me to intervene, Xemnas?"

The tanned man thought it over. "No…not yet." He mused. "Perhaps this could somehow work out in our favor."

That was a surprise. "Our favor? How?"

"I am not sure, but we shall see what happens." He turned to look at Number VI. "We will keep an eye on her until then."

It wasn't exactly the smartest move in Zexion's own opinion, but he knew better than to speak his mind. Instead, he held his tongue.

"Yes, Superior."

000

It definitely wasn't Kairi.

They had almost the same hair color. Except this girl had thin black steaks in hers, was darker, and was much, much longer than Sora last remembered it. She was rather thin (he couldn't also help but notice her chest was slightly big), very pale, and had stunning pale grey eyes.

Although she seemed nice enough, there was something…cold about her, Sora noted. It was something very slight, but also very apparent at the same time. She was lacking certain warmth, a certain presence that he and his friends had. It was unsettling, and made him frown a little.

"Who're you?" The Keyblader asked, standing up. His friends followed his lead and stood up as well.

"My name's Xed." She answered. "Who're you?"

"I'm Sora, and these are my friends, Donald and Goofy." He pointed to each in turn.

She smiled sweetly, which almost made the cold feeling disappear from Sora's sight. "It's nice to meet you. You know…I've had people drop in before, but no one's ever done it so literally…"

"You mean…you live here?" Donald asked, putting his staff away.

"No, but I work here. This is my shop."

"Shop?"

She walked back into the shadows. A second or later, the sound of a light switch was heard, and the entire place was illuminated. Shiny, complex looking equipment lined the walls along with many swords, shields, staffs, and other weaponry lined up on racks and shelves.

The trio looked around with interest.

"You sell weapons?" Goofy asked, staring at all the different shields.

"And I make them." Xed said proudly, smiling a little.

Donald quacked excitedly, and scrambled over to the staff rack. "Neat!"

The two animals were looking at all the weapons, like a child drools over everything in a toy store, quite comically. Sora, though, didn't clamber off with his friends (although he had started to). He couldn't bring his eyes off of the girl, for something in his heart couldn't trust her. Her smile faltered when he wouldn't look away, and she dropped her gaze to the floor.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy!"

The trio looked around quickly, for the source of the voice, which just spoke their names. The voice came again, louder, clearer, it's bearer definitely definable, now.

"That sounded like The King!" Goofy chuckled, excitedly.

Donald jumped up and down. "Oh, boy!"

The Keyblader's eyes widened slightly as he watched something in the girl's eyes change. Something developed; a strange, eerie blankness took over.

"Hey," Sora started, raising an eye, "are you oka—"

"Sora!"

Just then Riku ran in through the front door and stood in the doorway, catching his breath and staring at the group with concern. He relaxed only ever so slightly as the sight that they were all standing, and appeared well.

"You guys, are you all okay?!" He said, practically yelled, his worry apparent and heavy in his voice. "We saw your Gummi ship crash an—"

The teen cut off abruptly, as a certain, daunting smell filled his senses.

That of the purest, purest Darkness he had ever sensed.

Xed turned slowly, hesitantly, to face Riku. As soon as their eyes locked, time seemed to almost…stop. It was a painfully awkward and strange moment, as their gazes fixated purely on the other. The older teen's sea green held nothing but confusion and frustration. The younger's pale eyes held nothing but complete shock.

Sora and his companions looked back and forth between the two's intense staring, unsure of what was going on exactly.

The girl finally shattered the silence.

"Riku…"

The teen swallowed hard, as he could feel his heart aching in utter guilt.

"Raemond."

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**Dun dun DUNNNNNNN!!!!!**

**Reviews are love…and no one has been leaving any…so I feel unloved…and it makes me sad :( please review!**


	10. The Ambience Shifts

Castle Oblivion.

Deep, deep in the heart of that cold, barren building, with walls white and blank and chill as the empty, memory-ridden mind, down countless flights of steps that plunge anyone deep into the unconscious darkness, three Nothings sat in the tranquil dimness. Before them, set upon the wall, were several screens, all telling them what exactly was going on at the moment. They had not been instructed to spy; however, they decided to take it upon themselves to watch the action unraveling.

"I knew this would be undeniable trouble." Lexaeus spoke, his eyes never moving from the screen's picture of the workshop, with the stunned teens and trio all standing there silently.

"Despite what he may say, The Superior won't like this." Zexion added in.

"You know her best, Vexen." The two men turned to look at the scientist seated away from them, his eyes glued to the screen. Lexaeus continued, "What do you make of this?"

Yet, the blonde never answered. He never even acknowledged their question. All he could do was focus on the monitor, an unreadable look prevalent in his acid green eyes.

His comrades found this strange; when asked a question, Vexen would usually ramble on about his opinions and theories until someone was forced to cut him off. But this silence was odd and unexpected, and faintly worrying.

Number V and VI exchanged brief looks.

Although they wished to question Number IV, they could agree it was best to say nothing at all.

000

_"Welp, looks like we're gonna be here for a while."_

_Riku looked down at his mouse friend, who was smiling up at him._

_He wasn't smiling back._

_He was happy he could help to protect the worlds by staying inside of Kingdom Hearts to seal the door, but he didn't want to stay here…in Darkness…_

_"Riku?" The boy looked back at his friend._

_"Yes your Majesty?"_

_"Please, call me Mickey." _

_Riku chuckled slightly. "Yes, Mickey?" _

_King Mickey smiled, but it quickly faded into a frown. "Are you going to be okay?" The teen sighed._

_"Yeah, I'll be—watch out!"_

_A Heartless tried to jump and attack the King from behind, but Riku summoned his Keyblade and swiped at it, causing it to fade away. Suddenly, two more appeared, and King Mickey summoned his Keyblade and took them out. More and more Heartless appeared, coming in huge packs, and the King and Riku took each one out. It was tiresome, but eventually they were all gone—for now._

_"I think we got them all…" The King said, catching his breath. Riku was about to agree, when he saw a dark figure move in the shadows._

_"I wouldn't be too sure about that…" Riku brought up his weapon and started to sneak up on the figure. When he was close enough, he ran up to it, and brought down his Keyblade hard on the Heartless—_

_WHACK!_

"_OWWW!!"_

_THUD!_

_Riku took a step back in surprise._

_He had DEFINITLY not expected a Heartless to yell out in pain. Riku stared at the figure, which was now seated on the ground. His eyes had adjusted a bit to the Darkness, and he could make out that it wasn't a Heartless._

_It was a person!_

_"Are you ok?" Riku asked, extending his hand out to the person. The person laughed softly. By how their voice sounded, he could tell the person was female._

_"Yeah, I'm fine." She took his hand, and allowed him to help her up. Once she was standing, Riku could faintly make out that she was slightly shorter than he._

_"I'm real sorry about that…" Riku apologized. To be honest, he had no idea why he was being so nice. The figure laughed again._

_"That's ok, I'm used to getting hit in the head with oversized keys on a daily basis." She joked. Riku smiled, and he could've sworn that she was smiling too._

_"Riku? Where'd you go?"_

_Riku turned to see the King looking around for him._

_"I'm over here!" Riku called, getting his friend's attention. _

_King Mickey walked over to where the two were. "Who's this?" he asked._

_"Someone I just met." Riku said, wanting to leave out the part of him attacking her. He turned back to the girl standing next to him. "I'm Riku, and this is my friend, King Mickey." The King nodded and smiled. The girl smiled back._

_"I'm Raemond."_

The flashback ended in his memories.

That was such a long time ago. He could barely recognize her, now.

"Raemond…it's really you…" Something in his eyes brightened further and he watched her smile. Relief washed throughout him. She was okay after all!

"Riku!" She rushed over and hugged him tightly, so very relieved he was alright. He hugged back, hesitantly at first, as if he were afraid that, if he touched her, she'd disappear, like a dream. But she didn't. And the coldness he felt so long ago was almost comforting as he felt it right now.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy, however, didn't understand this reunion and stood there, utterly confused.

"Hey, what's going on here??" Donald asked demandingly, crossing his arms and stamping his foot.

The two ignored the mage, though, as they pulled away and just looked each other over.

Just then, Xed shoved Riku backwards, hard, almost making the teen topple over. She crossed her arms as the trio gasped, shocked.

"Riku!" Sora cried.

"Why, you jerk?" The brunette demanded, not looking angry in the least bit but very hurt and upset. The emotion shone strangely in her eyes, emptily and hollowly but certainly there under the layers of grey. "Why did you leave me?"

The silver haired teen looked down and away, in Sora's general direction. He knew that this question would be brought up. He simply didn't want to answer it. "It had to be done." His voice was full of shame.

The pain in the girl's eyes intensified. "You broke my heart…"

His heart ached with more passionate guilt, this time not receding. He wanted to apologize, to say that he was sorry, and that he is sorry, but he couldn't bring himself to press forth those words. Nothing he could say could ever truly express how sorry he was.

The trio standing on the sidelines still hadn't the slightest idea what was going on.

The Keyblade scratched his head, before his azure eyes lit up. "Oh, I get it!"

"You do?" Goofy asked, still looking confused.

"Yeah!" Sora grinned. "You're Riku's girlfriend, aren't you?"

"What?!" Both older teens quickly snapped their heads towards the brunette. Donald and Goofy laughed, along with Sora.

"A lot sure has changed in a year, Riku!"

"Shut up, Sora!"

"Aw, you're blushing! Ahyuck!" The knight giggled.

The silver haired teen rubbed his face, as if to try and wipe the flush from his skin. "Cut it out!" Glancing over at Xed, he could see she had turned away too, covering her cheeks with her hand, a faint blush peeking through her fingers.

When they all calmed down, Goofy looked back up to the ceiling.

"Uh, whoops, sorry about your ceiling, Xed…"

"It's okay. I'll fix it later." She assured him, smiling a little.

"We should go check on the Gummi ship and make sure it's okay." Donald quacked, walking past Riku and out of the open door.

"Wait for me, Donald!" Goofy ran out after him. Sora started to go after them, but turned around to face his friend.

"Uh, are you coming, Riku?" He asked, looking between he and Xed.

A little hesitantly, "Yeah, I'll be right there."

"Okay." He gave a little wave, before walking outside.

The two teens looked at each other for a moment. Both had so many questions to ask, so many things they had both been dying to know, but neither had the courage to speak their minds. Seeing each other was so extremely surreal, almost dreamlike.

Riku parted his mouth, but ended up saying nothing. He pressed his lips together in a frown, and walked out. Xed only stood there, silently and sadly, as he left without even saying goodbye.

As soon as he was gone, a swirling mass of black and purple opened up behind her. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was. The strong, overbearing scent of roses clued her in.

"Marluxia." She announced stiffly, not much as a greeting but more as an acknowledgement.

"Xedramon." The pink haired man smirked coyly. "I couldn't help but detect your unhappiness. Whatever is the matter?"

"You know just well, _Marly_." She walked by him and crossed her arms. "You're so nosy, I'm sure you heard the whole thing."

"Mind your tongue, Number XIII. I am your elder."

"Don't remind me."

He grinned. "What did you expect? You're not the heart he was expecting."

The brunette stopped walking, and looked down. As much as she'd hate to admit it, his words hurt her deeply. Though she was turned away, the man easily detected the sadness reflected upon her face.

"Maybe…" she said quietly, "our friendship could be renewed…"

Marluxia chuckled.

"Oh Xedramon, you poor, naïve child…" She felt his hands on her shoulders, gently but firmly gripping them. His breath was right at her ear, the close proximity making her look down in intimidation. She could sense him sneering.

"He doesn't, and would never care for a Nobody. Nobody does."

She felt the cold rush of a portal opening behind her, and felt the man's presence disappear as he left.

And she stood there, looking down with arms tightly crossed, trying to keep herself together as she was left alone to her own thoughts.

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**Marlykins is such a jerk :(**

**Next chapter to come out in a few days. Sorry for the bit of the wait, there.**

**Reviews would be greatly appreciated.**


	11. White Is Bleeding

The sound of distant thunder rolled softly along the barely-visible horizon in The World That Always Was. Nestled deep within the eerily bright city, past darkened alleys and abandoned streets stood a ridiculously tall and extraordinarily extravagant castle that very few knew about:

The Castle That Always Was.

The Castle for the most part was a deep, dark black, in sharp contrast to the white of the barren city that fell around it. The building stood, leering over the various Heartless and Nobodies that scurried and hopped about, gathering in Darkness and seeking out their next victims. The only source of true light came from the heavy Heart-shaped moon in the sky, a product of an ignorant Organization XIII that happened to carry over into the Heartless' side of the world. The glow of the moon shinned dully and pale against the exterior of the Castle, not doing much to brighten it up. And whatever light happened to worm its way into the structure was immediately snuffed out by the cold half-Hearted creatures that schemed inside the secluded edifice:

The Disorganization XIII, better known as The Disorder.

000

In the middle of the castle lay a room. And in that room were 14 chairs raised absurdly high off the ground, black to match the color of the room. Upon the roof was a large glass window, nearly as large as the entire ceiling of the room. It didn't provide strong light, but the light that penetrated it was sufficient enough. Seated in each chair was a white-cloaked Heartless, with all hoods down as the rule. That is, with the exception of one Heartless, (clad in different attire) seated in the highest chair of them all.

"Before we all start," A Heartless called out, a man with light brown hair (with a goatee to match) and piercing golden eyes named Roxuld, "what's HE doing here?" The man pointed an accusing finger at a member who was seated higher than he, his free hand shuffling a deck of white cards. A chorus of angered 'yeahs' and 'what's that psycho doing back?!' rung throughout the nearly empty room. The Heartless whom was being attacked with words placed his hands up in defense.

"Hey, I got asked to be here!" the boy, named Xoras, leaned back in his chair, lazily swinging a leg over the side. He flicked his fingers through his pale blond, spiky hair, flashing a smile. "So chill out dudes."

"I think that maniac should leave." Another man, Xisa, said, crossing his arms. This Heartless had dark brown hair, thick and slightly wild, reminding anyone who'd seen him of a wild beast. His eyes shone golden, and a deep 'X' shaped scar was marked between his eyes, reaching up to his forehead.

"Maniac?!" The boy from before shouted, his laughter filling up the room for a short moment. "You're the eccentric and crazy one, Xisa! I'd consider YOU the maniac."

"So you wish for me to _calm down_ a bit?" The man named Xisa asked, a slightly devious snarl set on his lips. "If I calmed down…" he leaned back slightly, "…well, that'd be too bad for you."

"But still, Xoras can't be trusted." This time, a woman, Ralexen, spoke, this Heartless having onyx black hair, styled oddly so two pieces stuck up slightly, resembling antennae. Her eyes were golden as well, as all Heartless, but they didn't shine natural malice, but kindness. "I mean, I'm not one to hate or anything…" she fumbled with the string of her coat nervously, looking down at the seemingly endless abyss of a floor below. "…But Xoras _did_ try to kill us…"

"Aww, shut up, Ralexen!" Xoras snapped, waving her off. She frowned, and seemed hurt at his cruelness.

"Okay…" she replied submissively. Another Heartless one chair to her left, named Xenzio, with light orange hair highlighted with pale gold streaks scoffed and rolled his golden eyes.

"Geez, Ralexen! You need to toughen up!" he said, smiling at her. "Don't let him get you down!"

"I fail to understand why ANY Organization would want _her_ as a member." Another man commented, Brixag, this one with long silver hair (streaked with black) pulled into a ponytail. He had a scar that stretched across his right cheek, and a white eye-patch over his left eye. "If you ask me, she's nothing more than a wuss—"

"Enough."

All the Heartless immediately were silenced, and turned their heads up to the Heartless sitting atop the tallest chair in the room.

_The Superior._

Number I wore different garments than the others out of sheer desire. Why? No one dares ask her. Instead of the traditional white cloak, she wore a white dress, elegant but simple, black leggings and black stilettos. She had pale skin and dark blonde hair that fell in waves around her shoulders and face. Her pale yet piercing grey glare stared intently at the other Heartless in the room.

Her name was Xradenom.

She crossed her left leg over her right and folded her hands in her lap, still glaring softly at everyone else.

"Xoras is here because I requested it. That is that." She said, her voice an eerie smooth and calm tone. He spoke clearly and loudly enough for everyone to hear her properly. And even if someone COULDN'T hear her, they wouldn't _dare_ ask her to repeat herself.

For you see, most find it truly amazing that Xradenom could earn the respect of 13 Heartless, most of them far older than she. In fact, she didn't earn their respect. She _**demanded**_ it. Scared it out of them. When she was brought into The Disorder, she immediately demanded respect from the elder members, and placed herself above them all. She terrified them by her power and leadership, her uncaring and intimidating demeanor. She could care less—no, couldn't care less—about what fate befell The Disorganization XIII. All she wanted out of it was her Heart. No, not even that. What she truly desired…truly craved…

Was Kingdom Hearts.

The girl smirked, very cruelly. "This is a lot better than we had planned it."

"Indeed." Mexdy, a man with oddly styled black hair, in a cross between a mullet and mohawk, and gold eyes commented. "It is surprising how well this is playing in our favor."

A man with dark blonde hair, spiked back severely, with harsh gold eyes to match, nodded in agreement. "Things almost seem too perfect. Perhaps this is a trap?"

"You're paranoid." Xisa dismissed.

"I'm just being cautious."

"I believe Number IX has a point." A burly man with oddly spiky silver hair and furious gold eyes, Sauelex, boomed. "All they are doing are making mistakes after mistakes."

"I agree." Xradenom said. All eyes immediately went to her. "They had their advantage, but they didn't go about their plan properly. They will fail, the pathetic idiots." A small, wicked smile slipped into her eyes. "They are all weak fools. And even if they did pose even a hint of a threat to our goals, we have three Keys while they only have one."

A few snickers, a few sneers.

She turned her gaze towards a man sitting in a lower chair, with bright blonde hair twisted into dreadlocks and severe sideburns, with golden eyes that were different than other Heartless; his shone humor.

"Aldix." The Superior called out.

He looked up and grinned. "Yes, Bosslady?

She glared daggers. "Do not call me that, you fool. Go to your assigned position. Sora shall be arriving any second."

"Aye aye, Captain!" he saluted her and portaled out in a mass of swirling darkness.

Once gone, Brixag looked up at Xradenom. "He'll fail, won't he? He always does."

She sat back a little, looking up through the glass above their heads.

"Do not concern yourself with it. Let destiny run its course."

000

"So let me get this straight, guys: there's a new group of enemies called Nobodies along with the Heartless. The Heartless are under the control of some guy named Pete, and the Nobodies are under the control of a group of Nobodies called Organization XIII?"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded at Leon, the brown haired man they had just recently met again while searching for Cid. They were at the Bailey, currently, surveying the Heartless situation in the Great Maw.

"Yeah, but we really don't have to worry about Pete." Goofy chimed in.

"Yeah, this Pete guy doesn't look smart enough to tie his own shoes." Sora said, fighting back a soft laugh. "The ones we need to worry about are the Organization XIII."

_"Oh, you're too kind."_

The four looked around to see where the voice had come from.

_"This call for a celebration…"_

Suddenly, a number of Dusk Nobodies sprung up from the ground, and started closing in on Sora, Donald, goofy, and Leon. They all summoned their weapons, in preparation to fight.

_"Let's see what the Keyblade can do when it's put to work."_

000

After slaying the last Nobody, Sora sprinted out of the gate and towards the large wall.

_"The Keyblade…a truly marvelous weapon…"_

Donald, Goofy, and Leon ran out to meet Sora.

_"…Were it only in more…capable hands…"_

The four heard a chorus of laughter. Sora grit his teeth.

"Show yourself!" he shouted.

_"Gladly."_

Just then, on top of the wall, 12 figures appeared through black portals. They all wore a long, black trench coat with the hoods up, concealing their faces.

"Is this the Organization XIII?" Leon asked Sora. Sora nodded. The figure in the center of the other figures laughed.

"So, our hero has arrived." He said. Goofy raised an eyebrow.

"Hero? What do you mean?" he asked.

"The hero who will save us from the cruel fate we're doomed to. The Keyblade Master." Sora narrowed his eyebrows.

"Like we're saving you from anything!" he scoffed. The lead figure shook his head.

"What a shame. And here I thought we could be friends."

"Friends?! Yeah right!" Donald shouted angrily. The lead figure smirked under the shadows set upon his face. Without another word, the 12 figured vanished in their black portals.

"Hey! Wait!" Sora called after them, running down the stairs, hoping to catch up with where they were going. But before he could make any progress, they were long gone, leaving the trio confused by their cryptic words.

000

Under the darkened skies in this cold, unwelcoming world, Number III walked leisurely around the large, dim castle. On Xemnas' orders, he was to turn the master of this citadel into a Heartless. The man knew quite well this was easier said than done, but he had to make an honest effort in order to please his Superior.

"Well, well. Two Dilan's."

The man turned sharply and looked around, but no one was there.

_He didn't even sense him until he felt the cold metal._

Xaldin reeled in shock, as he felt a long, cold lance pierce his torso sharply. He could sense the damage, sense the whittling of the wound, as his form began to crumble and fade all around him.

Looking up, his eyes widened as he met gold, heartless ones.

"You…" he managed to choke out, before the evaporation became too overwhelming and he disappeared without another word into wisps of utter darkness.

Aldix grinned, dismissing his lance. "Sorry buddy. Just following orders."

000

"You better take care of this here ship. She's a good one, she is, and I don't want you three goofballs wreckin' her up!"

"Thanks, Cid! We'll make sure she's perfectly fine." The mage quacked, running inside.

"Thank ya!" Goofy chuckled, following his feathery friend.

Sora smiled and waved, before turning to his silver haired friend, standing off to the side. "Riku, aren't you gonna come with us?"

"No, Sora." He said. "I need to keep an eye on things here, with the King."

The brunette was a little hurt. He was hoping he wouldn't have to depart from his friend so soon. "But Riku…"

"You have a job to do." The teen said firmly, but gently. "The worlds need you, not me. Don't let them down." He smiled faintly. "This isn't goodbye."

His assurance made Sora feel better. The teen smiled. "Okay. See you, Riku!" He climbed aboard and got situated, as Donald had taken role of the pilot, started the ship, and in no time they flew up and away, off to the first world of many that desperately needed their help…

Unbeknownst to them, to any of them, upon a nearby rooftop were two Nobodies, watching the departure with amused looks in their eyes.

The blonde laughed cruelly. "This has to be the most beautiful mess I've ever seen!"

"Indeed." The man smirked. "What a gorgeous disaster in the making. Don't you agree, Larxene?"

"Of course." She grinned wickedly, watching as the group of remaining people dispersed. "This'll be very dramatic when it all unravels, Marluxia."

He nodded, his cobalt eyes gleaming. "As long as we time things right, we won't fall along with them all."

They shared a malicious chuckle, before disappearing back to the castle.

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**Woah, LOOOONNNNNGGGG chapter there. But it's all important stuff. Yay plot twists!**

**Please review, because they make me happy and when I'm happy I type faster and update more often. We all win!**


	12. The Haunting Dies?

The trio walked along the quiet path and into the hauntingly magnificent citadel, dark and gloomy with a bit of a rustic romantic feel. Just the atmosphere felt as if they were in the presence of royalty. The map on their Gummi ship had informed them of the castles' inhabitants, and they were rather looking forward to reuniting with their old friends again.

"Hmmm…it seems like the Heartless really haven't touched this place." Sora remarked, looking around the foyer with interest. He and his friends had to take out a few Heartless outside, and one or two inside, but that was really it. They hadn't seen any Nobodies, either.

"Where do you think the Beast and Belle are?" Goofy asked, scratching his head. Donald just shrugged.

"We would've heard them by now." Sora said.

_RRRAAAAWWWWWWWWWRRRRRR!!!!!_

Suddenly, a loud roar echoed through the halls of the deserted fortress. It shook the floor, and nearly caused the trio to fall over. Once the roar finally stopped, the three looked over to the other door opposite of the room.

"I think it came from over there…" Donald said, sort of quietly. Sora turned around to them.

"Well, c'mon!" he said, beckoning to them to follow after him as he ran towards the door. Donald and Goofy followed, somewhat hesitantly, and the three ran out the door, and into the back courtyard.

000

In The Castle That Never Was, a certain silver haired man stood at a balcony stories above the floors below, watching with determined amber eyes the moon and hovered outside, so close yet so far away. He watched as hundreds and hundreds of pink, crystalline hearts flew up to his beautiful creation elegantly, and the memory of intense anticipation swept through him.

Soon. Soon.

A mass of darkness opened up behind him, and Number VIII stepped out. He crossed his thin arms and looked at his Superior indignantly.

"You rang?"

"Axel." The tanned man turned slowly to look at the younger man. "I have a task for you. As Kingdom Hearts nears completion, I expect complications to arise."

The redhead gave him a bored look. "And?"

"And we need our little weapon to be ready when her time comes." Xemnas joined his hands behind his back. "You are to keep an eye on Xedramon, and make sure she doesn't cause us any trouble."

Axel clenched his fists. "No way! There's no way I'm do that!"

Xemnas' gaze hardened. "Yes, you will."

He looked away, glaring. "You don't know what you're asking…"

Before any more words could be exchanged, the two looked up as they heard the soft patter of footsteps coming towards them. They watched as Number XIII waved at them. Axel scowled.

"Hi Bossman." She greeted towards Xemnas with a friendly smile.

"Xedramon." He replied simply. Looking back at Number VIII, he said, "Axel, that was an order." He immediately disappeared through a portal afterwards.

"What was an order?" The brunette asked, curiously.

"None of your business, kid."

She glared at him. "I was only asking. You don't have to be so rude."

The man glared back. There was no way he could possibly be expected to watch over this girl. She wasn't Number XIII. She wasn't supposed to be. How could his Superior ask him to watch over the person in his former best friend's position? It was absurd and hurtful, and he simply wouldn't do it.

"You know what?" he said, suddenly, with a different tone than before. Something heavy with malice and hate. "You should go challenge Sora."

"Huh?" She was confused now, and the look in her eyes showed it.

He waved her off and walked away. Over his shoulder, he called back, "Go challenge Sora. You might just learn something about yourself."

Xed just stood there, mystified, trying to decipher his cryptic advice. And wondering why what he said made her rather curious.

000

"I told you to leave Xaldin!!!"

"Yea, I know…but it's more fun to watch you all angry and stuff."

The party ran out onto a stone bridge, wild vines and roses intertwined with the shingles, see the Beast standing there, his teeth barred, and a silent snarl on his lips.

"Hey, Beast, what's going on?" Sora asked. The Beast turned his head to look over at Sora and his friends.

"Nothing that concerns you." He growled, turning back to the figure in front of him.

"Hey guys, look! It's one of those Organization guys!" Goofy said, pointing to the figure in front of Beast. Sora and Donald looked over to see.

There was indeed a cloaked figure standing –more like hovering- there, but there was something…off about him. The man had a white cloak on instead of the black ones they had seen earlier. His hood was down, giving the party a clear view of his face.

His hair was bright blonde, and styled into many dreadlocks, with thick sideburns to match. He also had a pair of golden eyes that shined darkly in the night.

He smirked at the trio.

"Sorry kids, but this is a private fight." He remarked snidely.

"We're not kids!" Donald shouted, pulling out his staff. Sora and Goofy followed suit. The man chuckled, totally amused. Sora narrowed his eyes.

"What are you laughing at?" he demanded, gripping his Keyblade harder. The man shook his head.

"It's just that…I had something REALLY important to tell you…" he choked out, starting to laugh. "And now…I can't remember what it was!" He then burst out in hysterical laughter.

"Uhhh…?" Goofy said, confused.

Donald crossed his arms. "Who is this nutcase?" he asked, watching the man nearly die with laughter. At his words, the man stopped himself from laughing, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself." He said, standing up straight, an amused smile still on his face.

"My name is Aldix…"

In a bright flash of white, six black lances appeared in his hand, and a strong wind blew, lifting him higher into the air. The trio, along with Beast, all got into fighting stances.

Aldix looked down at them, a malevolent grin set upon his face.

"…And I'm here to play…"

000

(SEE NEXT CHAPTER FOR BOSS BATTLE)

000

The man fell to the ground, breathing hard. His six lances fell down around his body, creating a fence around him. They glowed and began to crumble into a pure white mist, flying up into the sky.

"No…no…." he breathed, struggling to make the words. He lifted up his hands to his face. "I…I…NOO!!!!"

His body started to fade away, into white.

"NOOOO!!!!!" He screamed, but his screams were fading faster than he was.

In a matter of seconds, he was gone.

Sora sighed, and called off his weapon. "What…was all THAT about?" he asked.

Goofy shook his head. "I dunno." He answered simply.

Donald looked up at the two. "But I don't get it…Master Yen Sid told us the bad guys were in black…right?"

"Oh…" the knight scratched his head. "Right…"

"Maybe they're in white, too?" The Keyblade offered. His companions only shrugged. "I think we should talk to the King about this."

They all nodded their agreement.

000

A swirling white portal opened up before her desk, and Number III stepped out.

"Forgive me for bothering you, Superior, but it seems that Aldix has been killed."

The blonde looked up from her paperwork at the black haired man before him. She leaned back in her seat and calmly folded her hands in her lap.

"I expected it. He wasn't needed."

His eyes widened faintly. He wasn't…needed? He knew all too well that Number XI was…well, a fool, but to simply throw him out? The thought was troubling.

"What do you mean?"

She smirked cruelly. "Never you mind. Mexdy, bring me Number II."

A raised eyebrow on his behalf. "May I ask why?"

"I have a job for him."

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**Sorry for the long update…I got a trial version for 'World of Warcraft', and I've been getting as much use of it as I possibly could ^^**


	13. Boss Battle: Aldix

**Boss Name:** Aldix

**Health Points:** 3 ½ Bars

**Difficulty:** 3-4. Maybe 5

**Level Recommended:** At least 20, maybe even 25

**Character to Fight with:** Sora

**Allies:** Donald, Goofy, and Beast (only two out of the three, but Donald and Beast are recommended)

**Necessary to complete:** Yes

**Prize:** N/A

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For all those people who are complaining already about 'this is gonna be just like fighting Xaldin', let me just tell you that you ALL are WRONG!!! This is fight does have similar aspects to fighting Xaldin, except it's about **four times easier**.

This battle, as said before, is much like fighting Xaldin. The attacks are pretty much the same, yet not as strong. You still have to deal with his lances and his flying dragon, but his attacks deal **far** less damage.

The best way to beat him with his basic attacks: **Just watch a boss battle vid of when you fight Xaldin, or fight Xaldin yourself, just so you know the order of attacks he performs.**

In addition to his old attacks, he has one new trick up his sleeves:

His most devastating, and most annoying, attack is when he summons up about 30 Heartless, all different types and strengths. Then, he changes himself into random Heartless, and hides among the others. **Thing is: You can't see him change, and you don't know where he is.** So basically, you have to run around, beating up and killing Heartless until you hit him. And you can't lock onto him, because other Heartless get in your way. And the other Heartless aren't just there to stand there. They're going to try to attack and kill you. Finding him is a complete and total game of luck. You could find him with your first hit, or you could find him as the last Heartless you haven't killed yet. When you finally hit him, he'll return back to his old form, and then you can let him have it with your Keyblade. You can probably land a good amount of combos on him, which means you can do a nice deal of damage.

**Tip: When searching through the mob of Heartless for Aldix, don't attack and kill each Heartless until you find him. Just hit each Heartless once, and make sure you have the ability 'Scan' on. If you hit a Heartless, and it doesn't turn into Aldix, then move onto another one. But, before hitting another Heartless, check it's health. If it has already been attacked, then it's not Aldix, so don't bother attacking it. Only hit Heartless who haven't been attacked, and only hit those once.**

When his health gets low, to about half a bar, he'll repeat the whole 'hiding as a Heartless thing', but with more Heartless **(anywhere from 50-100!!!)**. Use any special attacks you have, and use the tip above to find him. And when you do find him, show him what the Keyblade can REALLY do!

It's a VERY easy fight, so no worries. The only annoying thing is his own special attack, but it honestly doesn't take too long to find him. The rest of his attacks aren't very strong, and somewhat easy to dodge.

Good luck!

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**Personally, I would MUCH rather fight him than Xaldin. He was hard D: I died like, 3 times…**


	14. This Is Your Other

Under the ever-sinking skies of Hollow Bastion, the Keyblader and his friends walked along idly, in no particular rush. Sure, what they needed to tell The King was important, but they figured that they'd find him when they found him.

The streets of the world were rather quiet, and the trio found themselves talking in order to fill the silence space.

"Hey, guys? What do you think of Xed?" Sora asked, placing his hands behind his head and linking his fingers.

"What do ya mean?" Goofy asked, turning his head to look over at him.

"There's just…something off about her. I can't put my finger on it."

Donald quacked in agreement, "I got the same feeling too! It's like…she's cold or something…"

The brunette's eyes widened slightly and he nodded. "Exactly! That's what I felt too!"

The mage looked towards his tall companion. "Goofy, do you get that feeling too?"

"…kinda…"

"So there IS something up with her." Sora exclaimed, coming to a halt. His friends followed suit. "I mean, she doesn't seem bad, but I'm not really getting good vibes from her…"

"People are just different, Sora." Goofy said, pointing his finger at him. "I mean, when I met you I didn't think you had the same feeling Donald here gives me!" He chuckled. "It didn't make ya a bad person, just different."

The boy scratched his head. "I guess you have a point there…"

He nodded. "Just don't go makin' assumptions, okay?"

Sora smiled. "Got it."

_"But you know, some assumptions are amazingly dead-on…"_

"Huh?" the three said in unison, looking around for the source of the voice.

Behind them, a swirling mass of white darkness appeared, and out stepped a short, white-cloaked figure with his hood down, showing his spiky bright blonde hair and devious gold eyes.

Turning around, they were shocked at what they saw.

"What?!" Donald and Goofy shouted, eyes wide with mouths dropped low, looking between this new person and Sora. The Keyblader himself could only stare in absolute astonishment.

With the exception of hair and eye color, he looked _exactly like Sora._

The cloaked boy smirked. "Well well, Sora…I finally get to meet you."

"Who are you??" Sora demanded, taking a step back.

"Yeah!" Donald quacked angrily. "And why do you look like Sora?!"

"Because I'm his Heartless, you dumb duck. The name is Xoras."

"Xoras…" the brunette breathed, still surprised. Goofy and Donald shared a confused look, before turning back to this strange boy in front of them.

"But….Sora already turned into a Heartless…" The knight said, scratching his head. "But then he went back to being him…"

Xoras crossed his arms. "Yeah, sure, that's fine and all, but you have to remember one key thing: You lose the heart? You get a Nobody and a Heartless. It doesn't matter if you got your heart back."

"Nobody AND Heartless?" Donald quacked, putting his hands on his hips. "Then where's his Nobody?"

The blonde grinned, a bit wickedly. "That's a very good question."

"Are you…with The Organization?" Sora asked.

"_I'm_ not." His Heartless responded, putting emphasis on 'I'm'. What he meant by that slipped by their minds.

The brunette was still lost beyond hope. "But…your cloak…?"

Xoras mocked a yawn. "You're all boring me. At least I know who got the brains out of us Soras." He opened a white portal effortlessly.

Sora jumped forward, reaching out to him. "W-wait!"

"Oh you'll see me again." He grinned. "Whether you want to or not."

Before anyone else could protest, he stepped backwards into the opening and disappeared from sight.

000

After surveying the Heartless situation with the King, Riku excused himself to just be by himself for a while. He walked the length of the massive stretch of land called The Great Maw, letting his mind wander to whatever it felt like thinking of. He looked up to the ever-sinking skies that hung above his head and kind of wished he could just disappear for a while. Just disappear, and return when things weren't so hard anymore.

"You and me both, Riku."

The silver haired teen spun around quickly to face the strange voice, but immediately stumbled back as his eyes laid upon him.

A teen his height that donned a white cloak, spiked down onyx-colored hair, and golden eyes peeking though his wispy bangs was standing a mere few feet away from him.

With the exception of hair and eye color, he looked _exactly like Riku._

"Who…are you?" Riku asked.

"My name is Kuxir." The boy answered simply. "I am your Heartless."

"Heartless…?"

This severely puzzled Riku. Heartless smelled like rotten darkness. But this boy…smelled clean. Like a clean darkness. This was a scent he had never, ever encountered. Ever. It was strangely unnerving.

"I realize I am not how you would imagine me to be, Riku." Kuxir said, never breaking their eye contact.

"What do you want? Why are you here?"

"To warn you."

_Warn…me?_ "Warn me of what?"

Something in his Heartless' eyes shifted, grew more solid and more serious. It gave the Keyblader the urge to shrink back, but he stood his ground.

"Stay away from her."

Something felt sharp in his heart. Without even asking who 'she' was, he already knew the answer.

Riku swallowed with some difficulty. "What are yo—"

Kuxir cut him off, "She doesn't need someone like you in her life right now."

The silver haired teen looked at him, pleadingly. "I want to make it up to her…"

"That is impossible."

More sharpness, more hurt, more pain.

The onyx haired teen turned his back towards him. "She needs a hero. You can never be that. Because of you, she'll never have one. You've done enough damage already, much more than you could ever imagine. Just keep away from her."

The Keyblader could only watch as his Heartless walked away into a white portal, disappearing from sight, as he stood there, wallowing in his silent guilt.

000

A swirling black-purple portal opened up, and as Lexaeus stepped out he saw Xemnas standing before him. He was stationed in his usual place, under the moon's vibrant shine, watching as the hearts of thousands flew up towards it.

"You requested me, Superior?"

"Yes." The tanned man didn't bother to look back at him. "Test Sora. Seek him out and challenge him. I wish to see how strong he is."

The orange haired man nodded. Although he himself wasn't sure of this, he wouldn't dare defy or even back talk Xemnas. "Yes, Superior."

And he disappeared.

000

Somewhere in an all-black room, a white-cloaked figure, with his hood down, sat in a black chair by a nearby window.

The man had raven black hair that was styled into an odd style, a cross between a mullet and a mohawk. His glowing golden eyes scanned the page of the book he was reading, his mouth forming the well-memorized words of the text as he silently read to himself.

His eyes flicked up for a moment, and then returned to reading his text.

"You make too much noise, Alex."

Another white-cloaked figure, his hood down also, stepped towards the man reading before him. This man had dark blonde hair, spiked back, and glowing golden eyes. Underneath his eyes were black diamond-shaped tattoos, black in color. He kept walking until he reached where the other Heartless was sitting.

"_Killer Angels _again, Mexdy?" Alex asked, eyeing the book in his elder's hands. "How many times have you read that thing?"

"Nineteen times, soon to be twenty." Mexdy replied calmly, still enjoying his book. "The story grows stronger with each time it is read."

"Yeah, sure." The other said, waving him off. Mexdy closed his book and looked up at the pyro standing over him.

"What brings you here?" he asked, placing the book on his lap. Alex smirked.

"Number IXV has been sent to get rid of that Sora kid."

"Oh really?" The musician said, gaining interest quickly. "Sauelex?"

"Mm-hm."

"Who do you think will win?"

"Well, Sauelex is rather tactful, but the kid is strong." Alex answered truthfully.

"I'd put my money on the child." Mexdy said, standing up. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"And why is that?" he questioned. The younger Heartless looked over at the older one.

"If he's anything like Xoras, he'll win."

"The kid _is _Xoras. And Xoras _is _Sora." Mexdy nodded, before chuckling, amused.

"Yes, and that is why he'll win for sure."

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**Oooohhh….it's getting good!**

**Please review. Reviews make me happy and when I'm happy I type faster. ^^**


	15. Trouble, Trouble

"I'm glad we're done here. It's cold!"

"Donald, it might not be so cold if you wore shoes, or something."

"Ahyuck, he's got a point there, Donald!"

The Keyblader and the knight shared a laugh, which made their feathery friend even more flustered. He jumped up and down, angrily, having a bit of a tantrum.

"Oh shut up!" he quacked in annoyance.

The trio continued to traverse across the fresh, purely white and slightly crunchy snow that seemed to always be plentiful in this Asian-inspired world known as the Land of Dragons. They had just recently helped their friends save the Emperor, and so far they hadn't run into any of The Organization. It was a pretty good day.

The brunette looked around, his eyes scanning their surroundings. "So…where'd we put the Gummi ship?

Goofy shrugged. "I dunno…Donald picked the place."

The mage crossed his arms defensively. "You guys were supposed to be paying attention, too!"

"So what are we going to do now, Sora?" The knight asked, looking over to him.

Sora simply shrugged. "I'm not sure." He admitted. "I guess we just gotta keep looki--

"SORA LOOK OUT!!" Donald screeched, cutting him off.

Just then a large weapon flung out towards the trio. They all jumped out of the way to dodge, just in time. The weapon boomeranged back, returning to its owner:

A black-cloaked figure was standing before them. No one even noticed when he appeared.

"Hey!! What was that for!?!" Donald yelled out in anger at the figure. The trio could feel the man before them smirk under his hood.

"I am Lexaeus." He introduced, pulling down his hood with his free hand. The man had short orange hair, somewhat spiky and styled into a sort of zigzag pattern, and cobalt blue eyes. He was a well-built, muscular man, and very tall, giving him a rather intimidating appearance. He stared at the group.

"And on The Superior's orders, I must end your existence here."

"Superior?" The knight questioned, curiously. "Who's that?"

"What should it matter to you?"

Sora spoke up this time. "Wait…the guys in white…who are they?"

Something in the man's eyes changed, reflecting faint confusion. _Guys in white? What in the name of Kingdom Hearts was he referring to? _

He gave them an indignant look. "Even if I knew what you were speaking about, the information I could provide you with would be meaningless." He took on a fighting stance. "I've been asked to test you, and I refuse to fall to a mere child."

"We'll see about that!" Sora scoffed, summoning his Keyblade.

"Yeah!" Donald quipped in, following Sora's lead and taking out his staff. Goofy brought out his shield and joined his friends.

Lexaeus narrowed his eyes, and gripped his weapon firmly.

"Then let us begin…"

000

(INSERT LEXAEUS BOSS BATTLE HERE)

000

The man staggered back, before falling down on one knee, breathing hard.

"You're…you're truly…the Keyblade master, no doubt…" he breathed, with much difficulty. The ground around him began to turn dark, and he started to vaporize into wisps of darkness.

Sora's eyes widened a little. "Wait! We need to know about those other guys!"

The Nobody closed his eyes and let his head hang down, allowing the darkness to overtake him. And then…it hit. He realized just what Sora had been talking about. He clenched his fist as tightly as he could, which at this point wasn't much at all. Things were about to become severely complicated.

He muttered, "This…is worse than we thought…"

The trio could only watch in confusion as the man disappeared before their eyes.

Gone.

000

Pale grey eyes scanned the skies from her seat on the workshop's rooftop.

She sat there, knees drawn to her chest, watching the sunset in the heavens while her mind wandered. Being experienced in detecting balance, she could tell that something was…off. There was a sharp shift in the air, in her mind, that she could feel deep within her. Something…was lost. It left. And the fact that she didn't know what deeply unnerved her.

A black mass of darkness opened up beside her, and a cloaked man walked out.

"Hey girlie." Xigbar said, grinning.

"Hi Xigbar."

He could detect the lack of enthusiasm in her voice. "What's eating you?" He sat down beside her.

She turned her head to look at him. "Things…don't feel normal anymore."

Number II sighed, propping his knee up. "I know the feeling. But sometimes change might be good."

"Not all change…"

"Agreed." He smiled faintly. "But don't worry about it, okay? Everything has to change. It's just how life is." Xed frowned, and the man chuckled. "Sucks, doesn't it?"

"Yeah…" Looking back to the skies, she wished aloud, "I just hope The Organization doesn't have to change…"

With her attention diverted, Xigbar allowed his expression to become more serious.

He sighed inwardly. _You don't know the half of it…_

000

A white portal opening in front of the trio interrupted their re-started search for their Gummi ship. The three looked up to see a white-cloaked figure walk out his hood down.

"So we meet, Keyblader."

The three were incredibly shocked at the man's appearance.

The man was well built, and had silver-colored hair that was styled in an odd zigzag pattern that was sort of spiky. He also had menacing golden eyes that made them very uncomfortable.

"But…" Donald started, still surprised. "Didn't we just fight you?" The man raised an eyebrow for a second, before frowning deeply, a sign of his annoyance.

"I am Sauelex. I do not play games. I despise them." He stated, his voice rolling with anger. "If the choice were to be mine, I would not be here."

"But we just fought you!!" Sora exclaimed, slightly exasperated. The man before them frowned even deeper, although no one thought it was possible.

"That's enough." He boomed. "I'm not in the best of moods, so I'd like this to be over with quickly." He slowly lifted his hand out to the side, and in a flash of white, a large weapon, identical to the one the other man had, called forth into his hand. Sora leaned in to his friends, a confused look on his face.

"What's with the kook?" he whispered.

Donald shrugged. "But, we just killed him!"

"Maybe we didn't kill him…?" Goofy said, looking back over at the man, who seemed to be losing his patience.

Donald furrowed his brows. "Then why did he change his appearance? And what's with the name change?"

"Maybe they really are different people?" The knight suggested. "That could be the other guy's Heartless!"

The mage wasn't convinced. "Yeah, but what're the chances they appear one after the other? I think they're the same."

"Maybe it's another power the Organization has!" Sora said. "And he's trying to use it to trick us?"

"But trick us into what? Donald asked.

Sora shook his head. "I don't even know, anymore…"

With a sigh, the three looked back over to the man.

The man lifted his weapon into the air, and slammed it on the ground. As he did, rock walls lifted up from the round, encircling the four of them.

"I do not play games," The man repeated. "So I'd like you to know your death shall be quick and painful."

000

(SEE NEXT CHAPTER FOR BOSS BATTLE)

000

The man collapsed to one knee, with an indignant glare on his face. White mist formed around him, as he began to fade away from sight.

"I hope you remain this strong. You will need…all the strength…you can summon…"

The group watched in silence as the man disappeared all together.

Once gone, they all shared an uneasy and rather worried look.

000

Xed looked down, placing a hand to where her heart should've been. The balance…was restored. It just fixed itself. But something was still…off.

"What does this mean…?"

000

"Make this quick, Saix. I've got stuff to do."

"Silence, Number VIII. Respect your elders."

The redhead had been summoned by the blue-haired man to meet him in a certain place in the castle, a barren, quiet area (much like the rest of the castle), away from prying ears.

Axel waved him off, crossing his arms. "You think you're so high and mighty just because you're one rank higher than me. You're not as big as you think you are. Got it memorized?"

Saix glared at him. "Shut up. I have a task for you."

"I'm listening. Barely."

The man had to resist snarling at him. "Go get Kairi and bring her here."

Axel raised his eyebrows. "What do you want with her? Sora's doing his job well enough. He doesn't need motivation."

"I never said that was the purpose."

Number VIII placed his hands on his hips. "Then what is?"

A smirk on Saix's behalf. "We lure Sora here. He'll do whatever we ask."

"And if that backfires?"

"We have Xedramon's protection."

Axel looked away, silently.

"Besides…isn't there someone you want? Perhaps we could convince Sora to release him."

Before another word could be said, the redhead was gone.

000000

**Very eventful chapter, indeed. Kinda shows how chaotic things are going. Will this end well? Or not?**

**Also, I'm not going to type Boss Battle Guides for the baddies we all know how to fight and beat. Just the ones you don't know.**

**Reviews would be lovely.**


	16. Boss Battle: Sauelex

**Boss Name:** Sauelex

**Health Points:** 3 ½ Bars

**Difficulty:** 3

**Level Recommended:** At least 30

**Character to Fight with:** Sora

**Allies:** Goofy and Donald

**Necessary to complete:** Yes

**Prize:** N/A

000000

As with the Aldix Boss Battle, the best way you can prepare yourself is to watch a vid of the Lexaeus Boss Battle, so you know what types of attacks he does. But, Sauelex also has an extra trick up his sleeve:

Remember in the story, when he caused that rock wall to shoot up from the ground? Yea, that wasn't for show, ya know!

**THE SAUELEX BOSS BATTLE IS ****TIMED****!**

When the fight starts, a timer comes on at the top of the screen, next to Sauelex's health. It's set for **seven minutes**. As you fight him, the rock wall is slowly closing in on you. If you can't beat him before the timer runs out, then the rock wall will close in to the point of it squeezing the life out of you (literally).

So you have to take him down as fast as possible!

And with seven minutes, you'd think that was easy, right?

**WRONG!!!**

Sauelex isn't much of a fighter. He's more of a strategist. So basically, he fights more on the defense than on the offence. When he attacks you, his attacks don't deal a lot of damage. But, when you attack him, _your _attacks deal a lot of damage! So that's definitely a plus.

**But it's very hard to hit him.**

He defends excellently, and quickly, so dealing damage is the hardest thing.

This is what you do:

At the start of the battle, he starts fighting regularly, so use this time to deal out those combos, limits, and special attacks to take down that health of his. After dealing with this, he'll rise up his arms, and a rock dome will rise around him and protect him.

You have to break the dome, if you haven't figured it out by now.

**To break it, run around it, and rapidly press 'R2'. Eventually, you'll 'lock-on' to the weak spot of the dome.**

Then, just attack that spot, and the dome will break.

**Tip: He'll use this again, but the 'weak spot' will change each time!**

Then, you can let him have it!

(By now, he should have about 2 bars of health left)

Then, the process starts over again.

Sorta boring, huh?

**Not really…**

After a few more times of this, he should have all of his health gone.

**As a last minute effort to kill you, he'll join himself with the rock wall.**

**AND THEN INCREASE THE SPEED IN THAT IT'S CAVING IN!!!**

When this happens, run to any part of the wall and start whacking away at it! Hit it as fast as you can, and as hard as you can!! Forget special attacks! JUST KEEP HITTING!!!

If you hit and damage it enough, it'll shatter, and you'll have defeated Sauelex!!

000

Although you don't get anything, it's still really important to fight and beat him, since you can't continue until you do!

He's relatively easy, so he shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Have fun! And good luck!

000000

**I haven't actually fought Lexaeus in CoM, or have even seen a vid of his fight, but I've heard something about it being kinda hard…I'd say this fight isn't as hard, but trickier. **


End file.
